Ron Kendall, special assistant to the president in the Office of the President at Texas Tech, said members of the SEJ visited Lubbock a few years ago.

“They stayed here a few days and met with administration and faculty and met with me,” he said. “They voted as a board to hold their meeting of 2012 at Texas Tech.”

Beth Parke, executive director of the Society of Environmental Journalists, said in a news release that the conference is primarily to assist journalists in reporting about environment-related issues.

“We are especially interested in the work of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, so relevant to environmental contamination, wildlife toxicology and biodiversity issues,” she said in the release. “I have no doubt that sessions on these topics in Lubbock will be quite compelling and enlightening.”

He said the conference will be beneficial in bringing publicity to Tech and to the community.

“We are able to reach future potential research sponsors,” he said. “It’s our opportunity to communicate what we do and how we do it and what we can do to help solve environmental issues. This is one of the important means of attracting them and advancing what we do here at the university.”

Kendall said Mayor Glen Robertson is scheduled to give a welcome on Wednesday night.

Local sponsors include Tech’s Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research, Cotton Inc., Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, Prosperity Bank, Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, Plains Capital Bank, Lubbock National Bank, Tech South Central Climate Center and United Sorghum Checkoff Program.”

“This will bring hundreds of people from around the world,” Kendall said. “The economic impact is huge. We are emerging as a national research university.”